Thursday, 31 December 2015

This morning, we had a most beautiful sunrise in our Shire - the type that beings warm light flooding in to our home.

The brilliant light filled me with thankfulness for another year of blessings received.

This past year, Ms M & I had a wonderful time in India revisiting her childhood spent there but our last few days were tempered with the thoughts that Olive, our 91 year old mother-in-law had fallen & we had a sense of foreboding that at her age this was never good.

After a difficult few months, we took leave of Olive - the end of an era; the sense that things have changed in the family dynamics & we were now the top of the tree, responsible for keeping everyone together & keeping the family stories alive - sobering indeed.

Social media is a great divider - some really loathe & fear it, but for those of us with family spread far & wide, we embrace the contact it offers & the opportunities to keep in contact with family last seen decades ago. It has given me the privilege to peek in on lives of those who are far away. It is so interesting to see how life has treated people, how well they have turned out & to celebrate (& marvel) at their talents & their lovely families - that is social media at its best - contact with each other is so much easier.

Distance becomes less important - a sense of pride prevails that you share genes with some amazing people.

However, life comes with sadness & from a distance, have witnessed those who have lost their lives to cancer - a cousin earlier this year, and another two I grew up with, one who is now fighting the last fight, and the other who is very ill indeed too ...

It makes one more appreciative of the fragility of life so my thoughts at the end of 2015 is to embrace life everyone - nothing is guaranteed, nothing is promised. Go to bed thankful at night for blessings received & wake ready to embrace the new day, whatever it brings with it. Our day is ending with a huge rainstorm in the Shire but nothing like northern England with some terrible floods ...

Thank you for your company & comments, be blessed as this old year ends,Dee ~♥~

Choc chips were all sold out locally so I bought good chocolate & cut it up in to small pieces ....

Traditional cutters which look very pretty

I wonder what a collection of gingerbread men might be called? Is there a collective noun for them? I wonder if a 'temptation of gingerbread men' might be suitable :)

This dough is lovely to work with, good enough for little hands to use too .... I wonder what a collection of gingerbread men might be called? Is there a collective noun for them? I wonder if a 'temptation of gingerbread men' might be suitable :)

Monday, 21 December 2015

Amid the hecticness of the festive season, it is always good to have some things that are constant. One such thing is the gift of a lovely door wreath made every year for me by the mother of one of my students. She makes them to sell at this time of the year & always has a special one ready for me on my last tutoring lesson.

Saturday, 12 December 2015

I am sure you are as busy as I am so thank you for making time to stop by. Have you been browsing online for inspiration while you decorate your home? I have seen so many stunning blogs & homes that just fill me with awe at the effort put in to make it all beautiful for the festive season.

I admit to tinkering with my decorations & this year I have seen a lot of tiny bottlebrush / miniature Christmas trees in images but finding them has proved to be a lot harder. You know the sort I mean - the ones that were everywhere once upon a time.

I had to revert to the internet to find some but after several packages arrived, I think I managed to get a reasonable selection from various sources ….

How to display them? I remembered my vintage weaving spools which seemed to look just right. So the sideboard has had some changes again ….

Sunday, 6 December 2015

The first Advent Sunday has come & gone & I am sending good wishes on this second Sunday of Advent. The second Sunday is traditionally about 'The candle of Peace & 'hope.'

My collection of Ethiopian crosses next to our Christmas Tree perfectly represent the spiritual & commercial conflict of the season - it is up to us to find the balance between the two.

On the second Sunday, we reflect on peace & hope. Random acts of kindness help to make the world a better place - take time to help or make a difference to those in your immediate circle & hopefully it will have a ripple effect - visit someone who is lonely, phone a friend, do a good deed where it is needed - give something more precious than money - your time!!

Saturday, 5 December 2015

Time to get our sideboard ready for Christmas - it always takes ages to locate the things I want.

We gifted this plate to Olive, my late Mother in law many years ago & it has come back to me - the 3 girls represented her 3 granddaughters & she loved using it at Christmas.

I love my eclectic collection of festive crockery - much of it gifts that remind me of the givers.

These Spode Christmas Tree plates & dishes are so classic & understated. This year I have teamed them up with some traditional little Christmas trees which were actually quite difficult to find some.

I have also used my small collection Emma Bridgewater Christmas mince pie plates & mug - they are perfect for offering mince pies to visitors on.

My vintage cranberry glass adds a lovely deep colour to the top shelf; our special Venetian glass decanter & glasses are always out for Christmas.

Greenery softens the top of the sideboard, along with some wooden houses. I love battery led lights as they are safe to use on shelves so they are tucked in to the glasswares. Some tartan / plaid cloths & stockings add the finishing touches.

All of the things on the sideboard will be used over the festive season as they are accessible - a wonderful reminder of gifts & people who gifted them.

I hope your festive plans are going to plan too. Do you plan ahead or do you find time runs out for the plans? What are your colours this year?

Thanks for stopping by & taking the time to read & leave a comment.Dee ~♥~

Thursday, 3 December 2015

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. Are you finding our dark nights have crept up on us rather quickly? I find the short days & long nights reset my body clock to 'hibernate' so I use lots of candles & led lights about the house to make it feel more cosy.

Because our kitchen is a calming country cream, it lends itself to change & colour. I have been rounding up some of my coloured glass to display them in the kitchen window where the light brings out their colour, and truth be told, they are too pretty to stay hidden too when colour is needed in Winter.

A stray strand of berry lights makes it glow with warmth at night too ...

As darkness sets in, the effect is rather stunning - perfect colour for dark, grey days! Go on - grab some of your pretty bits (or find some at thrift / charity shops) and add a string of lights for instant colour.

Colourmepretty

I hope your day is as lovely as this - Thank you for stopping by,Dee ~♥~

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About Me

♥ Welcome to my world of vintage & interesting things which I use in my home & table scapes. I always have a project on the go - gardening, sewing, furniture painting, craft, thrifting & much more. I love photography & am seldom without a camera to capture moments. Thank you for visiting my blog - please leave a comment so I can return the visit♥